Shloka 31
Adhyāya 52 (Sabhā-parva): Vidura Invites Yudhiṣṭhira to Hastināpura for the Dice Match
अददाद् गजमुख्यानां सहस्राणि चतुर्दश । आत्मा हि कृष्ण: पार्थस्य कृष्णस्यात्मा धनंजय:
adadād gajamukhyānāṁ sahasrāṇi caturdaśa | ātmā hi kṛṣṇaḥ pārthasya kṛṣṇasyātmā dhanaṁjayaḥ ||
Duryodhana said: “He gave fourteen thousand of the finest elephants. For Kṛṣṇa is truly the very self (ātman) of Pārtha (Arjuna), and Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) is the very self of Kṛṣṇa.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that true strength is not only material (vast gifts like thousands of elephants) but also relational and ethical: the profound unity of purpose between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. Their bond—expressed as ‘each is the other’s very self’—signals unwavering loyalty, shared dharma, and coordinated action.
Duryodhana is speaking while describing or assessing displays of wealth and honor. He notes an enormous gift—fourteen thousand prime elephants—and then comments on the inseparable partnership of Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, implicitly recognizing how formidable their combined presence is in the political arena.